Spyros Skouras, was one of the most important figures in the film industry and a man that played a key role in some of Hollywood’s most important movies. He also helped alter the course of the industry through his many contributions, innovations and hard work.
Skouras was born on March 28, 1893, and was raised in Greece before moving to the United States in the early years of the 20th century.
Here are some important things you need to know about the legendary film executive:
He was born in Skourochori of Pyrgos and he had two brothers, Karolos (Charles) and Giorgos (George) with whom he migrated together to the city of Saint Louis in Missouri.
Skouras served as president of the well-known film studio 20th Century Fox for two decades. In fact, he was the one behind the creation of the company when he pushed forward the merger of Fox Studios with 20th Century Pictures.
He helped launch the career of many aspiring actors and actresses. Most notable among them was a young Norma Jean Baker, who would eventually change her stage name to Marilyn Monroe. She was known to affectionately call him “Papa Skouras.”
Skouras was the mind behind the creation and introduction of CinemaScope to movie theaters, a move which brought back audiences to the cinemas and helped secure the future of the industry for at least the next few decades. Via CinemaScope, movie-makers could use a wide-angle lens to capture the scenes of their films, which in turn could only be shown inside a movie theater.
Some of the most notable films to be made under his supervision are Cleopatra, The Seven-Year Itch, The King and I and The Robe.
Four Australian water-bombing helicopters and seven crew touched down at Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ on Saturday morning and are now being assembled in preparation for heading out to fight wildfires across Greece.
The Russian aircraft Antonov An-124 carried the Australian water bombers to Greece after Greek industrial conglomerate, Mytilineos, contracted McDermott Aviation from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland to work with them.
Four Australian water-bombing helicopters touched down at Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ on Saturday morning.
The first two Bell 214B aerial water-bombing helicopters and supplies were loaded onto the Antonov An-124 in Wellcamp Airport in Queensland. Another two Bell 214B helicopters were loaded on the Antonov-124 in Perth.
From there, the four Australian helicopters headed off to Athens via Sri Lanka.
“Mytilineos has proven over time that it is always present during difficult times of our country. This disaster has shocked us all. We knew that there was a need for aerial firefighting, however, there is a terrible shortage worldwide,” Vivian Bouzali, General Manager of Communications and Strategic Marketing at Mytilineos, told The Greek Heraldlast week.
The Australian helicopters.
“We did what was humanly possible and found the most advanced Erickson firefighting helicopters and brought them from Australia to Greece. Along with a crew of 20 people – pilots, engineers and even translators.
“These helicopters, with a cost of 3.3 million euros, fully covered by Mytilineos will remain in our country for two months. Until the last spark that threatens our homeland goes out. Mytilineos will also contribute both to the reconstruction of the burned areas and to the reforestation of our natural wealth.”
NSW recorded 478 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases and eight deaths in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday.
Premier Gladys Berejikilian said the high case numbers were “disturbingly high”.
Seven more people died from COVID-19 as well as a 15-year-old boy who contracted pneumococcal meningitis and COVID-19.
Chief health medical officer, Kerry Chant, said it was vital to “protect loved ones”.
“It is important that we understand the true impact that COVID is having on the community and why it is so critical we all pay a key role in protecting our loved ones from disease,” Dr Chant said.
NSW recorded 478 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/RtVyEanPpr
Six of the deaths were aged in their 70s and 80s, one was in their 40s.
Of today’s new cases, 141 were linked to a known case or cluster and the source of infection for 337 cases is under investigation.
NSW Health said 61 cases were infectious in the community, 30 were in isolation for part of their infectious period and the isolation status of 290 remain under investigation.
There were 157,000 tests taken during the reporting period.
Melbourne curfew imposed as Victoria records 22 local COVID cases:
Melbourne’s lockdown will be extended for another two weeks, Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed today.
“We see too many cases, we see too many mystery cases. We now have 12 or 13 different chains of transmission. The origins of some are unknown to us. That means that this is spreading in an undetected way across the community,” Andrews said.
“We are at a tipping point. There is simply no option today but to further strengthen this lockdown and to, on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, extend it for a further two weeks.”
There will be a nighttime curfew for Melbourne from 9:00pm to 5:00am, starting at midnight tonight.
Health authorities are urging anyone with even the slightest coronavirus symptoms to get tested immediately. Photo: AAP / James Ross.
An 8:00pm to 5:00am curfew was introduced across Melbourne in August last year during the city’s second lockdown, and was in place for almost two months.
Victoria has recorded 22 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, 14 of whom were in quarantine during their infectious period.
Contact tracers have linked 17 of the new cases to current outbreaks.
The results were detected from 29,986 test results processed on Sunday, when 19,880 vaccination doses were delivered at state-run sites.
Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Tony Burke MP, confirmed on ABC Insiders on Sunday that there are plans to turn All Saints Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Belmore into a pop-up vaccination hub.
NSW Health is in discussions to use the facilities of All Saints on the corner of Cecilia Street and Etela Street to support the local community.
The Greek Herald understands this vaccination hub at All Saints was being considered by NSW Health over the past week.
During the program, Minister Burke was discussing what he believes needs to be done in the Canterbury Bankstown Local Government Area (LGA) to stop the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant and stressed the success of community vaccination hubs in the area.
“We’ve been working really hard to get pop-up clinics on the ground… we’ve got one at the Iran Centre at Campsie today, we’re trying to get one at All Saints Greek Orthodox Parish at Belmore,” Minister Burke said.
“These pop-up clinics work. People see people they know and one of the best ways to combat hesitancy about vaccines is for people to know they’re getting vaccinated in their own community, at your local pharmacy, at your local GP, at these pop-up clinics, at places that people already trust.”
A number of mosques in the Canterbury Bankstown LGA have also become pop-up vaccination hubs, with some vaccinating 1000 people a day.
This news comes as NSW recorded 415 new local cases of COVID-19 yesterday, with 167 of these from the Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD) and 98 from South Western Sydney LHD.
Greece and Europe are at the forefront of the fight to tackle climate change and the ambitious goals that have been set can be achieved, Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, told CNN on Sunday.
Mitsotakis expressed his belief that the catastrophic fires in the country in recent days are a sign of the climate crisis and a situation that we will often have to face from now on, both in the Mediterranean and elsewhere.
“We did the best we could. We evacuated tens of thousands of people and fortunately we managed to protect human life, we lost only one life. That is why Civil Protection did a great job for us,” Mitsotakis said.
The climate crisis cannot be addressed through lofty declarations. We need to drastically change the way we produce electricity, the way we build our buildings, the way we grow our food. We need to change things, and we need to start now. Interview with @FareedZakaria. pic.twitter.com/McfT7b5sd6
“Of course we have before us a great environmental catastrophe, a significant number of forests have been destroyed but I am afraid that this is going to be the reality that areas like the Mediterranean will face in the future. This was not just a Greek problem, there were fires in Sicily, Algeria, Turkey. It is a climate crisis that is affecting us here and now and we all need to look very seriously at what we need to do about it.”
The Greek Prime Minister said Europe must work together with other big players such as the US, China and India, to tackle the issue of climate change effectively.
“Europe is a pioneer in tackling climate change. We have set a very ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and our goal is to be climate neutral by 2050,” he said.
We have set up a system where we can blast messages with specific evacuation instructions to all cell phones in a predefined area. It worked extremely well during these wildfires, and allowed us to properly evacuate tens of thousands of people. Interview with @FareedZakaria. pic.twitter.com/OKKU8cpVhg
“The good thing is that we now have the financial tools to support such policies. Of course we also need the people by our side. Greece was at the forefront of (phasing out lignite as a fuel) even before this crisis hit us. In 2019, I announced that in a short time Greece will abolish all thermal power plants, and we have worked very hard with the local communities to ensure that we can achieve this transition, that it will be in their favor and will create more jobs than lose.
“However, we must also explain to people that this is a one-way street, that this is not a crisis that will be overcome with loud statements. We must apply what we say. I definitely intend Greece to remain at the forefront of this effort.”
Tears and anger as Greek island residents face wildfire aftermath:
Mitsotakis’ interview with CNN comes as residents from the Greek island of Evia returned home to see the aftermath of the bushfires which devastated the island over 10 days.
Ilias Nikolakarakos, a volunteer, puts out fires in resin forest. Photo: Laila Sieber/Al Jazeera.
Wildfires have turned the forest and beehives into ashes and burned down about a dozen houses in Rovies, those on the outskirts, and dozens more across the island.
One of these homes belonged to 72-year old Costas Constantinidis, a former pastry cook.
“There was a paradise here and now… it’s hell,” Constantinidis told Reuters, in tears as he stood in front of his house, much of which was destroyed by flames.
“My wife and I worked hard for many years to build this so we could enjoy it in our old age, and now, we must start again from the beginning.”
Goats are seen at a burn area near Krioneritis village on Evia island, about 181 kilometers (113 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Karadjias.
In Rovies, as in other villages across the island, residents said the government failed to protect their homes and the forest.
Mitsotakis has publicly apologised for delays in the firefighting effort and announced 500-million-euro ($587 million) relief package, while defending his government’s action.
“I want to tell them that I completely understand what they feel, both the pain and the disappointment, and the desperation,” he told a news conference on Thursday. “I want to tell them they will not be unassisted, the state will be close to them.”
The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Greek Orthodox celebration held every year on August 15. Due to the current COVID-19 lockdowns in New South Wales, Victoria and Canberra, parishioners were unable to attend church services and instead, watched them from their homes via live streams.
But in South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland, the faithful were able to gather and commemorate the important day.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia also issued a message to mark the religious day, calling on Orthodox Christians “to be an example through their faith; to not be discouraged, to not lose heart, and to not lose hope,” during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“Panagia always was, and will always be, our unshakeable support. Let us turn to her again today, intensifying our prayers so that we may gain consolation, hope and strength to effectively deal with the current tribulation,” His Eminence wrote in his message.
“I am certain that your prayers to our Most Holy Theotokos will also include our brethren in Greece, who have been severely affected by the devastating fires these last days.”
Of course, Greece also marked the occasion and in Turkey, the Ecumenical Patriarch officiated at the Liturgy at Soumela Monastery.
Here’s our rundown of how the Dormition of the Theotokos was celebrated in Australia and Greece.
South Australia:
With masks on and under COVID-19 safety rules Greeks across South Australia gathered to commemorate one of the holiest dates in the Orthodox Christian calendar.
Greek Orthodox Church of the Koimisis Theotokou, Croydon:
Picture: The Greek Herald/Argyro VourdoumpaPicture: The Greek Herald/Argyro VourdoumpaPicture: The Greek Herald/Argyro VourdoumpaPicture: The Greek Herald/Argyro VourdoumpaPicture: The Greek Herald/Argyro Vourdoumpa
Western Australia:
The Greek Orthodox Community of WA Inc celebrated the Vespers of the Dormition of the Theotokos at the Parish of Evangelismos, West Perth.
The service was presided over by His Grace Bishop Elpidios of Kyanea and involved the recital of lamentations of the Virgin Mary. Seven girls also performed the role of ‘myrophores’ or flowergirls and attended to the epitaphio.
All Photos: Facebook.
Tasmania:
Over 100 people attended a Matins and Divine Liturgy from 8.30am on Sunday at St Georges Greek Orthodox Church in Hobart. The church service was presided over by parish priest, Father Panagiotis, who was also celebrating his nameday.
After the church service, souvlakia and Greek sweets, made by the Greek womens philoptochos, were available for purchase. All proceeds from the sales will be donated to the people in need after the recent fires in Greece.
All Photos: Facebook.
Queensland:
The Vespers and Divine Liturgy services in honour of the Virgin Mary were both held at St George Greek Orthodox Church in South Brisbane. The services were presided over by parish priest, Father Dimitri Tsakas, and over 100 people were in attendance.
Greece and Turkey:
Faithful from across Greece attended church services to celebrate the Dormition of the Theotokos, adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols. The Archbishop of Greece presided over a service at the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Tavros, while the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, attended a service at the Church of Panagia Vourliotissa in Nea Filadelfeia, Athens.
In Tinos, a traditional procession of the icon of the Virgin Mary was not held this year in order to protect the faithful, according toertnews.gr.
Ο φετινός Δεκαπενταύγουστος δικαιώνει τον διπλό εορτασμό του. Γιατί ως Μητέρα του κόσμου, η Παναγία μάς προσφέρει την ελπίδα. Ενώ ως Υπέρμαχος, μάς οπλίζει με θάρρος απέναντι σε 2 παγκόσμιες δοκιμασίες: την κλιματική κρίση που κορυφώνεται & την πανδημία που παραμένει απειλητική.
In Turkey, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew officiated at the Divine Liturgy at the monastery of Panagia Soumela in Trabzon, Turkey.
It is the first time, after six years of forced silence, that the Liturgy for the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is taking place, due to the restoration works of the monastery.
Seven decades of Yarraville’s extensive Greek history has been documented in a book which hit bookshelves early last month.
Olympia Koziaris’ new book ‘Yiasou Yarraville: From Heartache to Heroes’ compiles the first-hand stories of 20 local Greek diasporic characters and institutions in the inner-west Melbourne area.
“It’s really about ensuring that our local history of the Greek immigrants was captured,” Karris tells Star Weekly.
“They’ve been here for over 70 years, migration started about the 1950s. I’ve honed in and I focussed on Yarraville because that’s the Greek hub.”
The likes of wrestler Alex Iakovidis, Victoria’s first female Greek police officer Calliope Kwas, director Ana Kokkinos, cinephile Peter Yiannoudes, entrepreneur Rosie Didolis, and more feature in the book.
Kariss grew up in Footscray, five kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, and says the art-deco boutique Sun Theatre in particular was her “starting point” for the book.
“It was the most beautiful building I had ever been to as a child, and I remember being there as a child, and literally there would be 1000 people outside,” she says.
“The seating was for 1024 people and I remember it being full, packed.”
The Sun Theatre originally opened in 1938 but was became a Greek cinema in the late 1960’s to satisfy the suburb’s growing Greek population, spurred by the migration boom, until it was shut down in the 1980’s.
“The Sun Theatre was Greek-owned … a lot of people used to catch the train and they would all gather to Yarraville on a Saturday, Sunday night to watch movies. The first movie was always Greek and the second movie could be Indian with Greek subtitles.”
Olympia Koziaris’ government-funded history book is available now.
Dr Stavroula Nikoloudis, lecturer and coordinator of Greek Studies at La Trobe University will present the online lecture In memory of Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770 – 1843), on Thursday, August 19 at 7.00pm, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars, offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.
During the Greek Revolution of 1821, several individuals rose to prominence as key, charismatic leaders. Theodoros Kolokotronis was one of them.
Born in the Peloponnese, Kolokotronis came from a family of klephts – bandits, whose struggles for autonomy gradually gained momentum and contributed to the war of independence against the Ottoman occupiers of their homeland.
Kolokotronis’ strategic genius served the overall uprising well, leading to a number of decisive victories, including the battle of Dervenakia (1822). The internal factional conflicts of the Greek revolutionaries (1823-1825) and the loss of many lives, including that of his son (1824), took their toll, but his vision continued to fuel his endeavours. It is in part his perseverance that makes him such a relatable protagonist. His inspirational leadership endeared him to his followers and provoked the ire of his enemies.
Theodoros Kolokotronis.
This lecture concentrates on Kolokotronis’ Memoirs (dictated to Tertsetis in 1836) as a means of exploring the intriguing story of this central authority figure, his contribution to the struggle for independence and his enduring relevance.
Dr Stavroula Nikoloudis is lecturer and coordinator of Greek Studies at La Trobe University. She completed a BA (Hons) and MA in Archaeology at The University of Melbourne and this was followed by a PhD at The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Her area of specialisation is Mycenaean studies, Mycenaean being the earliest attested form of the Greek language. Her teaching centres around ancient and modern Greek language and literature. Her research deals with questions relating to ethnic identity and cultural diversity, migration, diaspora communities, diachronic language development and language education.
When: Thursday 19 August 2021, 7pm
Where: This is an online lecture and can be followed on Zoom and Facebook.
A Greek Australian firefighter from Cronulla in Sydney’s south has traveled to Canada to help combat wildfires.
Inspector Tim Hassiotis works in Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) headquarters says he is represent Australia’s diplomacy to Canada.
“Much of Western Canada has been experiencing hot and dry weather with large fires currently burning in British Colombia and Ontario,” Inspector Hassiotis tells The Leader after arriving in Canada on a charter flight last week.
“Canadian firefighting specialists travelled to NSW during the 2019-2020 bushfire season to assist our efforts, and this is a fantastic way to repay the favour.
“I am extremely proud to represent FRNSW and Australia.”
A fire burns near the White Rock Lake in Ontario, Canada (BC Wildfire Service photo)
Mr. Hassiotis has worked with FRNSW for almost 19 years since beginning as a firefighter in late 2002.
He became station officer in Sydney and has been an inspector since November last year.
He has also worked as a commercial diver during this time.
He is among 38 specialists from NSW firefighting and emergency services in a 55-person contingent.
The contingent is expected to assist and standby in Canada for up to five weeks.
They are subject to COVID safety measures, including pre-travel testing and will have to quarantine for 14 days on their return to Australia.
Water seeping into the British Museum’s Greek galleries from a leaky roof has delayed their reopening.
According to The Art Newspaper, seven galleries of Greek art, including the museum’s display of Parthenon sculptures, were expected to reopen to the public at the end of July following a seven-month closure.
But museum sources say this was pushed back after heavy rainfall on July 25 caused flooding in central London and led to water leaking into one of the museum’s Greek galleries.
Left: The Art Newspaper took this picture of the stained roof in the Parthenon sculptures gallery in January 2020. Right: Figures from the pediment of the ancient temple in the British Museum.
“There was some water ingress in one of the [Greek] galleries” in July, a British Museum spokeswoman confirmed to The Art Newspaper. She could not identify the specific gallery and could not say when the displays might reopen.
The poor state of the rooms housing the museum’s Greek and Assyrian treasures has been noted many times before.
In 2018, Greek television broadcast images of water dripping into the gallery housing the frieze, sculpted relief panels (metopes) and pedimental sculptures removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.
The Art Newspaper also spotted a fan in the middle of the gallery in August this year which, according to them, suggests a humidity problem, possibly caused by the leaking roof.
The British Museum is currently trying to overhaul all of its galleries.
Under its director Hartwig Fischer, who was appointed in 2016, the British Museum is drawing up a comprehensive masterplan which will overhaul all of its galleries and redisplay all of its collections but this is likely to take many years, if not decades, to implement.
The Greek galleries were last open to the public in December 2020. On 16 December 2020, the museum closed to comply with a national COVID-19 lockdown.
It reopened five months later, on 17 May 2021, but routine maintenance work on the Greek galleries continued and they remained closed.
